H 
horn the appearance of his major novels, the series " green valleys, red hills " 1 , this novel by Ramiro Peña (Bilbao, 1923), " The blind ants "Nadal Prize and the Critics Award in 1961, recently reissued 2, was considered" as the quintessential Basque novel ", to the extent that, as pointed out by Fernando Aramburu in the preface to this new edition combines the stubborn mentality of the Basque people with a cruel fate" that has finally prevailed in the history of my countrymen. " Since then, attended the above, I am not likely to introduce pre-reading of this work, the only one I know of the author, however, as I am struggling reader, I have come, in earnest, at the end of this story really dark and airtight.
The argument seems to be taken from real events lived in "old times." Unleashed a furious storm on the coast Cantabrian thrown against the cliffs a British ship loaded with coal that is spread on the rocks. As a human wave, a whole people come at night to pick up the black gold they so desperately need to heat their homes, braving the risks of storm, cold, and wave height. Among those who go there is the family home Jaúregui Sabas, consisting of a father and his four children Fermín, Cosme, Bruno and Ishmael, but his brother Peter.
" There it was, hanging and indifferent, while others were still holding the rope, the father approached him and, from the edge of the mountain, grabbed his right hand and placed it tip earthy corner, while most of us said rope. Then, surrounded by (the father and the sack) of all, untied the rope and dropped it and opened the mouth of the bag, stretched their heads, we saw: bright carbon black irregular pieces, neither large nor small, the cold with only comforted him with enough power to launch the nations to war, greasy, materialization of the charity that provides warmth, grateful to us, his predestined unearthed ... "
rescue operation in the coal dies Fermín accidentally, one of the children. The remaining family members, which must be added the mother, Josefa, younger sister, Neil, and grandmother, strive to conceal the couple dead brother's body and the valuable cargo of ore, sheltered from the curiosity of the neighbors and the Civil Guard investigation.
Critics see in this novel Steinbeck formal influences (" The Grapes of Wrath") and Faulkner (As I Lay Dying ). As in the above, other family members separately Jauegui tell the story which they live and contemplate forming a prism narrative provides the reader with their different points of view. One of the characters for which the author seems to have a predilection, the youngest son, Ismael, fourteen years ago in Nexus connection between multiple accounts, but the relevant figure is the plot of the father, Sabas Jauregui, strong man, the "blind ant" careful to follow the route and transporting the load, overcoming all obstacles
"Always continuing. They stumble and rise. Are prepared to defeat everything that is put forward. They are invincible. Have been created with the slogan and meet. "
Like the blind ant, Sabas Jaúregui a man is invincible, unavailable to the failure: " will face a host of adversities, even child lost in the attempt to lead his family to despair and to exhaustion, if the ill muster against the people, to the end, not getting the fruit that has painstakingly pursued " 3 .
Well written, (I learned the meaning of Basque and Castilian words for me so far unknown as acullu "," hopper, "" cartola " gorse", not "gorse "or" talo "), with some artificiality in some dialogues and ruminations of the characters, and perhaps some anachronism (the quote from the movie" The Three Musketeers "), with a solid plot, dark as coal, is, despite the effort that has been reading an interesting novel, which, as the author himself acknowledges in the preface written on the occasion of this new edition, will have supporters and detractors but in any case leaves reader indifferent.
© Manuel Martínez Bargueño
November 2010
horn the appearance of his major novels, the series " green valleys, red hills " 1 , this novel by Ramiro Peña (Bilbao, 1923), " The blind ants "Nadal Prize and the Critics Award in 1961, recently reissued 2, was considered" as the quintessential Basque novel ", to the extent that, as pointed out by Fernando Aramburu in the preface to this new edition combines the stubborn mentality of the Basque people with a cruel fate" that has finally prevailed in the history of my countrymen. " Since then, attended the above, I am not likely to introduce pre-reading of this work, the only one I know of the author, however, as I am struggling reader, I have come, in earnest, at the end of this story really dark and airtight. The argument seems to be taken from real events lived in "old times." Unleashed a furious storm on the coast Cantabrian thrown against the cliffs a British ship loaded with coal that is spread on the rocks. As a human wave, a whole people come at night to pick up the black gold they so desperately need to heat their homes, braving the risks of storm, cold, and wave height. Among those who go there is the family home Jaúregui Sabas, consisting of a father and his four children Fermín, Cosme, Bruno and Ishmael, but his brother Peter.
" There it was, hanging and indifferent, while others were still holding the rope, the father approached him and, from the edge of the mountain, grabbed his right hand and placed it tip earthy corner, while most of us said rope. Then, surrounded by (the father and the sack) of all, untied the rope and dropped it and opened the mouth of the bag, stretched their heads, we saw: bright carbon black irregular pieces, neither large nor small, the cold with only comforted him with enough power to launch the nations to war, greasy, materialization of the charity that provides warmth, grateful to us, his predestined unearthed ... "
rescue operation in the coal dies Fermín accidentally, one of the children. The remaining family members, which must be added the mother, Josefa, younger sister, Neil, and grandmother, strive to conceal the couple dead brother's body and the valuable cargo of ore, sheltered from the curiosity of the neighbors and the Civil Guard investigation.
Critics see in this novel Steinbeck formal influences (" The Grapes of Wrath") and Faulkner (As I Lay Dying ). As in the above, other family members separately Jauegui tell the story which they live and contemplate forming a prism narrative provides the reader with their different points of view. One of the characters for which the author seems to have a predilection, the youngest son, Ismael, fourteen years ago in Nexus connection between multiple accounts, but the relevant figure is the plot of the father, Sabas Jauregui, strong man, the "blind ant" careful to follow the route and transporting the load, overcoming all obstacles
"Always continuing. They stumble and rise. Are prepared to defeat everything that is put forward. They are invincible. Have been created with the slogan and meet. "
Like the blind ant, Sabas Jaúregui a man is invincible, unavailable to the failure: " will face a host of adversities, even child lost in the attempt to lead his family to despair and to exhaustion, if the ill muster against the people, to the end, not getting the fruit that has painstakingly pursued " 3 .
Well written, (I learned the meaning of Basque and Castilian words for me so far unknown as acullu "," hopper, "" cartola " gorse", not "gorse "or" talo "), with some artificiality in some dialogues and ruminations of the characters, and perhaps some anachronism (the quote from the movie" The Three Musketeers "), with a solid plot, dark as coal, is, despite the effort that has been reading an interesting novel, which, as the author himself acknowledges in the preface written on the occasion of this new edition, will have supporters and detractors but in any case leaves reader indifferent.
© Manuel Martínez Bargueño
November 2010
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NOTES
1. Trilogy consisting of "Part I, whooping Land" (2004), "Part II, The naked bodies" (2005) and "Part III iron Ashes" (2005).
2. Ramiro Pinilla " The blind ants . New edition with epilogue by Fernando Aramburu. Tusquets Publishers, 2010.
3. Fernando Aramburu. "Epilogue . The blind ants. A reading ."
1. Trilogy consisting of "Part I, whooping Land" (2004), "Part II, The naked bodies" (2005) and "Part III iron Ashes" (2005).
2. Ramiro Pinilla " The blind ants . New edition with epilogue by Fernando Aramburu. Tusquets Publishers, 2010.
3. Fernando Aramburu. "Epilogue . The blind ants. A reading ."
